What do you think of the results of this survey? Do you think it has any serious implications? What does it say about science education in the United States? Is it something to be concerned about?

One in four Americans do not know the Earth circles the Sun and fewer than half know humans evolved from earlier species

Half of all Americans also said astrology is either ‘very scientific’ or ‘sort of scientific.’
Fewer than half (48 percent) knew that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals.
National Science Foundation warns public perceptions of ‘pseudoscience’ are getting worse
Percentage of Americans who think astrology is ‘not at all scientific’ declined from 62 percent in 2010 to just 55 percent in 2012
By Mark Prigg
Just 74 percent of respondents knew that the Earth revolved around the Sun, a shocking new study into the scientific knowledge of American has found.

The survey included more than 2,200 people in the United States and was conducted by the National Science Foundation.

Ten questions about physical and biological science were on the quiz, and the average score - 6.5 correct - was barely a passing grade.

Just 74 percent of respondents knew that the Earth revolved around the Sun, a shocking new study into the scientific knowledge of American has found.
Fewer than half (48 percent) knew that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals.

The result of the survey, which is conducted every two years, will be included in a National Science Foundation report to President Barack Obama and US lawmakers.

One in three respondents said science should get more funding from the government.

Nearly 90 percent said the benefits of science outweigh any dangers, and about the same number expressed interest in learning about medical discoveries.

The National Science Foundation said nearly half of all Americans said astrology is either ‘very scientific’ or ‘sort of scientific’.
It said young people in particular were more likely than ever to consider the pseudoscience at least ‘sort of’ scientific.

Skepticism of astrology hit an all-time high in 2004, when 66 percent of Americans said astrology was total nonsense. But each year, fewer and fewer respondents have dismissed the connections between star alignment and personality as fiction, the NSF said.
‘In 2012, slightly more than half of Americans said that astrology was ‘not at all scientific,’ whereas nearly two thirds gave this response in 2010.

‘The comparable percentage has not been this low since 1983.’

Skepticism of astrology hit an all-time high in 2004, when 66 percent of Americans said astrology was total nonsense.

But each year, fewer and fewer respondents have dismissed the connections between star alignment and personality as fiction, the NSF said.

It claims the question was ‘focused on the public’s capacity to distinguish science from pseudoscience.’

Young people are also especially inclined to offer astrology scientific legitimacy, with a majority of Americans ages 18 to 24 considering the practice at least ‘sort of’ scientific, and the 25-34 age group is not far behind them.

According to a new survey by the National Science Foundation, nearly half of all Americans say astrology, the study of celestial bodies’ purported influence on human behavior and worldly events, is either “very scientific” or “sort of scientific.”

By contrast, 92 percent of the Chinese public think horoscopes are untrue.

The interesting thing is that the Chinese do as well in schools in the U.S. as they do in China. So what does that tell us about education? Absolutely nothing. But it does tell us a lot about something else.

Are you implying that the Chinese are genetically engineering genius babys George, that they’re spending millions for education with an emphasis on the applied arts and sending fact finding teams to all of the major first World countries to study their educational practices?

Ok, according to this study, the motivating factor in higher achievement by the second generation Cinnese students is related to higher expectations and reliance on education as a way to succeed. also, they rank third behind Asian Indians and second generation Japanese students in academic achievement. So does this bolster “Tiger Mom’s” argument?

Ok, according to this study, the motivating factor in higher achievement by the second generation Cinnese students is related to higher expectations and reliance on education as a way to succeed. also, they rank third behind Asian Indians and second generation Japanese students in academic achievement. So does this bolster “Tiger Mom’s” argument?

Since we already know that parents have no influence on their kids’ personalities, your “Tiger Mom” theory is automatically invalid.

All right George, I forgot about the Nurture Assumption although I disagree with the contention that parents have “no” influence on their children’s personalities even through My evidence is anecdotal. So what then is your evidence re. second generation Chinese-American students? Oh, and tell the to the “Tiger Mom” BTW as she and her cohort are presently making the rounds of the news and talk shows promoting her latest theory.

Since we already know that parents have no influence on their kids’ personalities, your “Tiger Mom” theory is automatically invalid.

Only one example - I spoke only French until I was 2.5, then I went to live with my English grandmother for six months who said, “no grandchild of mine is going to speak any foreign language” and beat it out of me. Since then I’ve have very little success at learning any language except English. When I was three, my mother took over and taught me to read and to do arithetic. From the beginning of school forward I’ve done very well at both Engish and mathematics. —- But I’m sure that if I’d been raised in the middle of Africa, I’d have exactly the same [genetically determined] characteristics.

I dont think the news is an accurate source for information. I have taken courses at my engineering university and one of the things
emphasized was that when news articles report studies, they often leave out crucial details like

1. Other factors
2. Limitations of the study
3. Researcher’s admissions of flaws in the conlcusion/ study

There is a good point, however, regarding our education system.

Dr. Neil Postman was a famous scholar talking about how our culture has changed radically in the past few decades.

Cap Jak I know you do sociology for a living. What are your thoughts on Dr. Postman?

Don’t know much about Postman I.J. But I do tend to agree with his contention that there are technophiles pushing their agenda and this has impacted he educational system by throwing the money and focus on the applied sciences while we are neglecting liberal arts subjects such as the social studies, art and music and literature. For example, John Q. Is having a hard time even reading a map and when asked most Americans can’t even find Iraq. We’re losing our sense of place. As to the effects of mass media, I agree that television has become a vast wasteland with a limited educational value. Sure we have the discovery channel but the other one hundred are rife with “chewing gum for the eyes” type shows with no redeeming educational value. Even the once legitimate History channel now regales us with shows such as “Nazi aliens” and logging and gold mining. I’m not sure I agree with his concept of no computers in the classroom however as it has been a great learning tool for me along with the more conventional teaching methods. BTW, my degrees are in History and Social Studies although the latter does include Sociology.

I know these are broad generalizations, but look at what we have in the US:
- a surge in anti-intellectualism fostered by conservatives, especially symbolized by the rise of the Tea Party
- a surge in the cost of advanced education which could combat #1
- a surge in the cult of personality, where being successful means being a movie star or a sports star
- and a surge in media interest in reality shows, including pseudo-documentaries mentioned above, that actively play to #1 and 3.

Given these things, it’s no wonder the US gets those results from NSF surveys.

I’d be interested though to see what things are like in other countries as far as the four points I made. Are they unique in the US or are other countries in similar dilemmas.

I know these are broad generalizations, but look at what we have in the US:
- a surge in anti-intellectualism fostered by conservatives, especially symbolized by the rise of the Tea Party
- a surge in the cost of advanced education which could combat #1
- a surge in the cult of personality, where being successful means being a movie star or a sports star
- and a surge in media interest in reality shows, including pseudo-documentaries mentioned above, that actively play to #1 and 3.

Given these things, it’s no wonder the US gets those results from NSF surveys.

I’d be interested though to see what things are like in other countries as far as the four points I made. Are they unique in the US or are other countries in similar dilemmas.

I agree with the above, especially the continuous dumbing down of television due in part to “reality” shows which are actually carefully scripted scenerios replete with angst, yelling, meaningless dialogue and sprinkled with supernatural BS. Great Britain is experiencing a similar surge in superstitution and religious belief. They gave us the Beatles and we gave them Bigfoot and ancient aliens (snarky irony). Well, we did invent fast food though. Now the French hate us.